DeAngelo Hall is still DeAngelo Hall, he's just in a much better defensive scheme. He gets throw at a ton, gets beat quite often, but he still breaks on the ball about as well as any cornerback in football. He's not a different corner than he was in Oakland, he's just not being asked to do something he's terrible at. Even with the turnovers, there's no way I'd say he's the best or even top 5 in the NFL this year.

Antonio Cromartie has shown a lot of improvement. Props to the kid, I still think he may be the most talented cornerback prospect I've ever seen, and he can still become one hell of a player. With Revis struggling a bit, Cromartie been a huge part of that defense. I'd say he's the most improved guy.

Alterraun Verner has been the best rookie out there, with McCourty as a pretty close second. Both have been really impressive and actually pretty consistent.

Brandon Flowers is this year's Darrelle Revis (if such a label needs to be applied). He's a guy with great hips who can bait quarterbacks and is tremendously physical off the line. This shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone who watched him the last few years (especially last season), but he's clearly having his best year yet. I'd have no problem with saying he's been the best this year.

That said, I think Nnamdi, coming off a year that could be considered a bit lackluster (although he still gave up the fewest receptions of any starting cornerback in the NFL by far), has been ridiculously good this year. He's been following receivers around the field this season and his performance against Larry Fitzgerald was incredible. I'll pick Nnamdi as the best until some passing attack proves otherwise.

Flowers by a wide margin, he was my pick last year for DROY and he got snubbed imo, but this year he's made a major case and has performed better than anyone else, scrable's issues and Revis being injured obviously has an impact but Flowers is killin' it.

DeAngelo Hall is still DeAngelo Hall, he's just in a much better defensive scheme. He gets throw at a ton, gets beat quite often, but he still breaks on the ball about as well as any cornerback in football. He's not a different corner than he was in Oakland, he's just not being asked to do something he's terrible at. Even with the turnovers, there's no way I'd say he's the best or even top 5 in the NFL this year.

Antonio Cromartie has shown a lot of improvement. Props to the kid, I still think he may be the most talented cornerback prospect I've ever seen, and he can still become one hell of a player. With Revis struggling a bit, Cromartie been a huge part of that defense. I'd say he's the most improved guy.

Alterraun Verner has been the best rookie out there, with McCourty as a pretty close second. Both have been really impressive and actually pretty consistent.

Brandon Flowers is this year's Darrelle Revis (if such a label needs to be applied). He's a guy with great hips who can bait quarterbacks and is tremendously physical off the line. This shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone who watched him the last few years (especially last season), but he's clearly having his best year yet. I'd have no problem with saying he's been the best this year.

That said, I think Nnamdi, coming off a year that could be considered a bit lackluster (although he still gave up the fewest receptions of any starting cornerback in the NFL by far), has been ridiculously good this year. He's been following receivers around the field this season and his performance against Larry Fitzgerald was incredible. I'll pick Nnamdi as the best until some passing attack proves otherwise.

I havent seen the Titans this year so I cant comment on Verner but I have been more than impressed with McCourty. Teams are already picking on the other side of our defense and his physicality is unreal. He also had an awesome pick against Rivers.

I know it's going to sound homerish, but why is Corey Webster getting no love in this thread? He's been an absolute beast all season.

I agree that Flowers is probably the best right now, but Corey is right there with him. He's given up 9 catches all season. And those 9 catches, I don't even remember any of them, bc they were most likely meaningless dump passes or something. He's been lights out.

the game ended in a holding penalty since you forgot. If you wanna make an argument you would bring up the fumble return. But we are talking about the top corners in the league and he isn't one of them.

Honestly, I think Nmandi is overrated by this forum. I think ppl dont' watch the Raiders enough, and just assume Nmandi does his thing and mentions his name.

Ive seen Andre Johnson beat him this year and Ive seen Malcolm Floyd eat his lunch. He got destroyed by SD.

He's great, but he's not this unstoppable force that people make him out to be. Yeah, he doesn't get targeted much, but that's bc Oakland is ******** and only line him up on one side of the field much of the game.

But when he has been lined up with some #1 WRs, I have seen him get beat. The whole "ppl throw away from him" mumbo jumbo works both ways. He's not even covering the best WR on the opposition for most of the game, so of course they'll throw away from him.

That also makes his game look better than it really is. Put him 1 on 1 with Andre Johnson all game, and he'd get burned.

SD wasn't afraid to line up Floyd on him and Floyd burned him.

Nmandi is great, probably top 5 in the league, but he's overrated on this message board.

heh, and we've now come full circle on nnamdi, just like we did on champ. don't worry guys, in one to two years, you'll be able to take this exact post and insert revis's name instead of nnamdi's.

none of which is to knock bbd's post specifically.

but come on. he got beat by andre johnson. sometimes, when you play one of the best players in the league, they'll beat you. it's as non-sensical as when people said that, because champ got beat (on one play) by a still very good terrell owens, he wasn't any good anymore (i also realize that you didn't say he's not good anymore).

further, as i understand it, nnamdi *has* been rotating to the top wr this season. i could definitely be wrong, but i believe that's what was being said earlier in the year.

My main point is, with so many people mentioning Nmandi, I question how much of him ppl actually watch. The few times Ive watched him, I thought he was quite good, but not the amazing demigod that he's being portrayed as on this forum.

I could be wrong, but seeing 4 Oakland games this year and seeing him get beat in 2 of them, I don't think he's as good as people are making him out to be.

Having that said, I still said he's top 5 in the league, bc let's face it, there is no such thing as a true shut down CB in the NFL anymore (minus the ridiculous season Revis had last year), so it's not like Im saying he sucks or anything.

Honestly, I think Nmandi is overrated by this forum. I think ppl dont' watch the Raiders enough, and just assume Nmandi does his thing and mentions his name.

Ive seen Andre Johnson beat him this year and Ive seen Malcolm Floyd eat his lunch. He got destroyed by SD.

I wonder if you've watched Nnamdi enough. Andre Johnson didn't even play in the game Houston played against Oakland and Malcolm Floyd made two of his eight catches against Nnamdi, the biggest of which was a diving inside route for something like 30 yards.

That's it.

edit - If Nnamdi's not a shutdown corner, tell me how you define the term.

I wonder if you've watched Nnamdi enough. Andre Johnson didn't even play in the game Houston played against Oakland and Malcolm Floyd made two of his eight catches against Nnamdi, the biggest of which was a diving inside route for something like 30 yards.

That's it.

You're right. I just had a brain fart. I have no idea why I'm remembering Andre Johnson play him. I think I'm confusing him with somebody else. I have seen 4 Oakland games this year, and I remember him getting beat by 2 guys. I have to go back to the dungeon and look it up.

i'd also be curious as to how the rest of the oakland secondary is playing (both are they any good and are they giving nnamdi any help).

Branch and Huff are playing decently in run defense but aren't exactly stellar in pass coverage, Routt has his good days and his bad days, and Johnson has slightly more bad days than good ones.

In terms of help, unless the route is deep towards the inside of the field (because yes, Oakland still runs a single deep safety and yes, this is totally ********), Nnamdi receives no help at all. In the game against the 49ers, Crabtree broke inside and Nnamdi was playing the possibility of an outside route (as was his assignment in the cover 3), but Huff got back far too late. Such a play is not an uncommon occurrence.

I'm curious with the insistence that Nnamdi isn't a shutdown player, because it seems to me that he fulfills all the requirements to be considered as much. He's allowed the least receptions of any starting corner each of the last three years and is well on his way to doing so again. He's never had a great cornerback opposite him, but it's rarely the case that the guy opposite him has such a disastrously bad season as a result (DeAngelo Hall being the exception there). And while the run defense has been bad this year, it hasn't been so awful and Oakland hasn't always been so behind in the ballgame that not passing at Nnamdi is just a convenience for teams. If you need a better example, how about Arizona trying desperately to get something going on offense and still refusing to test Nnamdi's coverage of Larry Fitzgerald?

This may just be my opinion, but the general refusal to throw the football at Asomugha by the rest of the NFL strikes me as the clearest possible vote for his ability.

Honestly, I think Nmandi is overrated by this forum. I think ppl dont' watch the Raiders enough, and just assume Nmandi does his thing and mentions his name.

Ive seen Andre Johnson beat him this year and Ive seen Malcolm Floyd eat his lunch. He got destroyed by SD.

He's great, but he's not this unstoppable force that people make him out to be. Yeah, he doesn't get targeted much, but that's bc Oakland is ******** and only line him up on one side of the field much of the game.

But when he has been lined up with some #1 WRs, I have seen him get beat. The whole "ppl throw away from him" mumbo jumbo works both ways. He's not even covering the best WR on the opposition for most of the game, so of course they'll throw away from him.

That also makes his game look better than it really is. Put him 1 on 1 with Andre Johnson all game, and he'd get burned.

SD wasn't afraid to line up Floyd on him and Floyd burned him.

Nmandi is great, probably top 5 in the league, but he's overrated on this message board.

A. Johnson didn't play against Asomugha and the last time they played against eachother Aso shut him down. Aso got hurt in the 3rd quarter and Johnson didn't catch a ball then Asomugha leaves the game and Johnson finished the game with like 2 catches with 18 yards. Your not watching the games obviously, but just looking at stats and thinking Floyd had a good game and you assume Aso was on him during all those completions. During the SD game aso only allowed two receptions for 44 yards and no tds. What #1 WR has beat him because when the Raiders let him follow those type of big name WR's they usually have there worst games. Look at his season stats up to this point he still the only cornerback who shuts his side of the field down.